Film formation method, film formation device, piezoelectric film, piezoelectric device and liquid discharge device

• US 8,563,091 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2010
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujii, Takamichi, Naono, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIN, ERICA S Y
• Application Number:
  US12/707,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20100208005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 427/523
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/161 of film type, deformed by bending and disposed on a diaphragm
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1642 thin film formation by CVD [chemical vapor deposition]
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1646 thin film formation by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/086 of zinc, germanium, cadmium, indium, tin, thallium or bismuth
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/088 of the type ABO3 with A representing alkali, alkaline earth metal or Pb and B representing a refractory or rare earth metal
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/34 Sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/548 Controlling the composition

Abstract

When a film containing constituent elements of a target is formed on a substrate through a vapor deposition process using plasma with placing the substrate and the target to face to each other, the film is formed with surrounding the substrate with a wall surface having the constituent elements of the target adhering thereto, and applying a physical treatment to the wall surface to cause the components adhering to the wall surface to be released into the film formation atmosphere.

Claims

1. A film formation method for forming a film on a substrate, the method comprising:

placing a substrate and a target comprising film constituent elements such that the substrate and the target face each other;

surrounding the substrate with a wall surface; and

subjecting the substrate and the target to a vapor deposition process using plasma to form the film, wherein the film is formed while physical treatment is applied to the wall surface to cause an element or elements that emerge from a part of the formed film and adhere to the wall surface during the vapor deposition process, to be released from the wall surface into a film formation atmosphere, wherein the wall surface comprises

an inner wall surface of a vacuum vessel in which the film is formed, or

a surface of a wall member which surrounds the side surface of the substrate and is disposed between the substrate and the vacuum vessel.

2. The film formation method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the physical treatment comprises a heat treatment.

3. The film formation method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the physical treatment comprises a heat treatment at a temperature of at least 100°

C.

4. The film formation method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the physical treatment comprises a treatment to apply an AC voltage.

5. The film formation method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the physical treatment comprises a treatment to apply a negative potential.

6. The film formation method as claimed in claim 5, wherein a difference between a potential at the wall surface and a plasma potential at a distance of 1 to 2 cm from the wall surface is at least 20 V.

7. The film formation method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vapor deposition process comprises sputtering.

8. The film formation method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the film comprises a plurality of elements other than a nonmetal and non-metalloid element, and a sputter rate of an element having a highest sputter rate among the plurality of elements is at least 1.5 times a sputter rate of an element having a lowest sputter rate.

9. The film formation method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the film comprises a piezoelectric film.

10. The film formation method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the film comprises, as a main component, one or two or more perovskite oxides represented by general formula (P):

ABO₃ 

 

(P),

wherein A represents an A-site element and comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of Pb, Ba, Sr, Bi, Li, Na, Ca, Cd, Mg, K, and lanthanide elements;

B represents a B-site element and comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Mg, Sc, Co, Cu, In, Sn, Ga, Zn, Cd, Fe, Ni, Hf and Al; and

O represents oxygen, and wherein a molar ratio of the A-site element, the B site element and the oxygen element is 1;

1;

3 as a standard;

however, the molar ratio may be varied from the standard molar ratio within a range where a perovskite structure is obtained.

11. The film formation method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the film comprises one or two or more perovskite oxides represented by general formula (P), and the A-site element comprises at least one metal element selected from the group consisting of Pb, Bi and Ba.

12. The film formation method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the film comprises one or two or more perovskite oxides represented by general formula (P), and the A-site element comprises Pb.

13. The film formation method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the film comprises a Zn-containing compound.

14. The film formation method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the film comprises a Zn-containing oxide represented by general formula (S):

In_xM_yZn_zO_{(x+3y/2+3z/2)} 

 

(S),

wherein M represents at least one element selected from the group consisting of In, Fe, Ga and Al, and all of x, y and z are real numbers greater than 0.

15. A piezoelectric film formed with the film formation method as claimed in claim 1.

16. A piezoelectric device comprising:

the piezoelectric film as claimed in claim 15; and

an electrode for applying an electric field to the piezoelectric film.

17. A liquid discharge device comprising:

the piezoelectric device as claimed in claim 16; and

a liquid discharge member disposed adjacent to the piezoelectric device, the liquid discharge member comprising a liquid reservoir for storing a liquid, and a liquid discharge port for discharging the liquid from the liquid reservoir to the outside in response to application of the electric field to the piezoelectric film.